Monthly Archives: September 2009

I had a hankering for something Pendleton-ish. Not that I don’t have jackets, I do. Also sweaters. But as I age I look a little like a bag of something in sweaters. All my jackets are work jackets. Meaning structure and resultant discomfort. I’m clear. If no one is paying me money, I want to […]

As we know, it’s Fashion Week. Day after day, designers are showing collections in New York City. We might now wonder, is there such a thing as a High WASP* designer? I reviewed scads of photos of expensive clothing looking for an answer. Research purposes only, you understand. An enormous amount of work, but I […]

We may want to dress just like our mothers. Or we may want, for many reasons, to avoid our culture of origin, seeing it as baggage. No belting leather lined with watered silk, either. In my experience, however, cultural avoidance is a waste of time. We don’t have to fully embrace our backgrounds, if we […]

Do you have a baby? Do you know some one or several someones who have babies? Jan is giving away the cutest little handknit sweaters. Full of grandma-made-them appeal. I, of course, am babyless at the moment, except for the cuties in my photo album, so I don’t need baby sweaters. Jan’s ex-mother-in-law (it’s a […]

Wonderful Maureen at IslandRoar gave me this award. Thank you Maureen. Thank you also for writing so likeably about Martha’s Vineyard, your teenagers, and the vicissitudes of life. I bet you are a wonderful friend to many people IRL. Forthwith, my 5 obsessions and the 5 bloggers I would like to pass this to. 5 […]

Luckily for us moms there are now many socially sanctioned ways to spy on our adult and almost-adult children. At least to spy in their vicinity. If they have a job, the corporate website is a great way to feel like you’re in the next cubicle. If in school, there’s always the old college paper. […]

On the coast of Northern California On 9/11 I think about those who lost someone they loved. And those who had to witness or experience death and chaos. People’s bodies falling through the air. Life, short, fragile, and so sweet I feel it on my teeth, says, “I’m yours forever. I am. Believe me.” Not […]

Fashion hangs its metaphorical hat on two hooks. The Object of Desire and The Trend. Objects of Desire are whatever your hearts, well, desire. Even large pink hats in the shape of a bedroll. If enough people agree, we have a Trend. Trends are the Holy Grail of fashion. Although ornery creatures of laws of […]

We work hard at developing selves. A personal style both reflective and supportive of those selves. Some of us push through our High WASP reticence. We confess to feelings of anxiety and shameful desires for shiny eggplant purses. Others buy new black patent leather half boots or shift dresses covered in green palm trees or […]

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Am I serious? Privilege? Yes. At least when I'm not joking. While privilege can teach you what color shoes to wear with navy blue, nothing beats the privilege of being alive. So let's talk style, in the context of culture. Let's focus on the over-50. For more, please go here. Or you can reach me at my email: skyepeale@yahoo.com. That's the name I wanted to be called when I was 16. Ah. 16....